Ending Slavery, Promising Transparency, Bringing Citizens Home—A Report on Mauritania’s Democratic Transition

April 2007 brought about dramatic transformation in Mauritania, ending nearly 25 years of dictatorship with a new democratically elected government. The government passed a new law criminalizing slavery and began to repatriate thousands of black Mauritanians stripped of their citizenship and expelled in 1989.

Despite these advances, there is much yet to do. The anti-slavery law relies entirely upon the police for its enforcement, with slaves unable to launch legal actions on their own behalf. And although the first returnees are back in the country, potential land conflicts, resource scarcity, and ongoing racial discrimination could undermine the success of the repatriations. Transparency in exploiting natural resources is likewise part of this democratic revolution: while oil reserves might provide desperately needed funding for anti-slavery and repatriation initiatives, they raise the specter of instability and massive corruption.

The Open Society Justice Initiative hosted a discussion on the promise and danger of this moment in Mauritanian history. The event also screened excerpts from the film Faces of Change, directed by Michele Stéphenson.

Speakers

• Cheikh Saad Bouh Kamara, Association Mauritanienne des Droits de l’Homme
• His Excellency Ibrahima Dia, Ambassador of Mauritania to the United States
• Boubacar Messaoud, SOS Esclaves
• Aminata Sy, Mauritanian refugee
• Morgan Mandeville, Revenue Watch Institute

Julia Harrington, Open Society Justice Initiative Senior Legal Officer, introduced the event.